Delaware Man Pleads Guilty to Jan. 6 Felony After His Attorney Argued He Has ‘Foxmania’

A January 6 defendant whose attorney argued that he had “Foxmania” pleaded guilty in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The 29-year-old Delaware man, Anthony Alexander Antonio, allegedly entered the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and fought with officers.

In addition, he refused to leave until they sprayed him with a chemical irritant. He pleaded guilty to a felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting. Consequently, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson set a sentencing hearing for August 23, 2024.

In an early hearing, Antonio’s attorney, Joseph Hurley, said that Fox News “played constantly” in his home for six months. Consequently, Hurley said Antonia “became hooked with what I call ‘Foxitus’ or ‘Foxmania.’ Hurley added that Antonio became interested in the political aspect and believed everything the news “fed to him.”

Consequently, many criticized Fox News for amplifying former President Trump’s unfounded claims about 2020 election fraud. In April, the network agreed to pay $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems, which accused it of airing false information.

ALSO READ: Air Force Staff Sergeant Arrested for Role in January 6 Capitol Riot

However, despite Hurley’s claims, the Department of Justice (DOJ) laid extensive evidence against Antonio. The DOJ said Antonio wore a black tactical bulletproof vest with the words “Three Percenters.”

Also, the DOJ revealed that the words on Antonio’s vest referenced the far-right anti-government militia group. In addition, they said Antonio yelled at officers, “You want war? We got war. 1776 all over again.”

In his agreed-upon statement of offense, Antonio admits that he yelled at the police. Afterward, he joined the standoff at the Lower West Tunnel of the Capitol. As the mob pushed through, officers retreated, and the mob followed.

Also, the DOJ revealed that Antonio confronted police officers in the Lower West tunnel. During the confrontation, he held a stolen police shield and passed it along. The DOJ said about two hours later, rioters dragged a Metropolitan Police Department officer down a set of stairs.

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They added that Antonio “sprayed water and threw his water bottle in the officer’s direction.” In addition, Antonio said to an officer, “I’ll be honest, this isn’t against you personally. This is against our country.”

Antonio later took a police gas mask and “forcefully pushed and grappled” with police officers. He also refused to leave the tunnel until officials sprayed him with a chemical irritant. However, he entered the Capitol through a broken window, joining other rioters in a Senate “hideaway” office. 

“We barricaded the door, broke everything, so we’d have something to use against ’em,” Antonio said in an interview while on Capitol grounds on January 6, according to the statement.

At one point, before he entered the building, Antonio saw an officer wearing a body camera. He asked who would see the footage, and the officer told him the police department would. However, Antonio leaned forward into the camera and said, “We will not back down.”

ALSO READ: Ex-Police Officer at the Capitol Makes Statement About the Jan. 6 Protest Being a Set-Up

However, Antonio’s attorney, Joseph Hurley, argued during a 2021 hearing that Antonio believed he was following Trump’s orders. He added that the Delaware native thought he was participating in a patriotic movement.

Also, in an interview on CNN, after they charged him, Antonio said he shouldn’t have been there that day. Furthermore, he acknowledged that the Capitol riot should not have happened.  

According to reports, Antonio’s sentencing range is 33 to 51 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson will sentence Antonio, whom attorney Robert Lee Jenkins Jr. now represents, in August 2024. Antonio, like the 1,230 people arrested in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot, awaits his sentence.

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